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Validation beyond the gallery
Validation beyond the gallery
We recently commissioned some research from Manchester School of Art about artists working outside of the gallery system
When I became Executive Director in April 2015, I was acutely aware of a sea change within the cultural landscape. I am certainly not unique in this respect: Alistair Hudson (Director of mima) notes '...art and culture are under scrutiny as never before and the use value of art has slipped away from ordinary society'. At the same time however, we see artists working with people and spaces, in collaborative, dynamic and interactive ways. Artists operating outside the gallery have come to play an essential role in society, yet these activities appear misunderstood, poorly profiled and simply not valued at the level of practice supported and promoted by the gallery sector.
At Axisweb we decided it was a good time to ask some questions. With the aim of better understanding the experiences of individuals working beyond the gallery, we commissioned a new piece of research with a focus on how validation and visibility are (or aren’t) being gained.
Written by Dr Amanda Ravetz and Dr Lucy Wright of Manchester School of Art, the research is a response to our questions and through a series of semi-structured interviews captures the opinions and experiences of producers, commissioners and artists all operating outside of galleries.
The report substantiates feelings that many artists will be familiar with: exclusion, rejection, misrepresentation [galleries use the wrong language], sidelining and being unrecognised, all for producing ‘the wrong kind of work’. These are issues which have been aired many times, however we are determined that this research will be a catalyst for change.
We have established working groups made up of artists, producers and commissioners to drive this process. These groups will develop collaborative mechanisms to tackle the issues raised in the research and consider and implement ways to improve advocacy and profiling work beyond the gallery.
By continuing our partnership with MMU and expanding this membership, we will explore and test new models focusing on use value, metrics and social signs that help champion, profile and evaluate artists and art beyond the gallery. Ultimately, we aim to connect and engage with a broader public to reinforce the value of art and artists within society.
An online presence for the campaign planned in the coming months will include opportunities for engagement, however in the meantime if you have any ideas or feedback you want to share please do get in touch.
I’m personally very excited to be sharing this news with you, and look forward to reporting back as progress is made.
Mark Smith, July 2015
Click on the publication to view the report, click 'Expand' to enlarge.
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Thanks to an app called No Ad, you can now swap out said brain-numbing endorsements with stimulating artworks. Goodbye sexist imagery and bad puns, hello contemporary art!
The art-savvy (and free) app recognizes patterns on subway ads and compares it to a database of all circulating subway ads at the time. Just by pointing your phone at the image you wish to eradicate, the app will replace it with a work of art. Voila, a mobile, pop-up gallery at your fingertips.
No Ad is curated by a revolving crop of artists and institutions, changing approximately every month. Thus the concept of a fluidly updating art gallery is transposed from white-walled cubes above ground to the concrete jungle below.
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Magical App Will Turn Ad-Filled Subway Stations Into Pop-Up Art Galleries
No more bad puns so early in the morning.
Headshot of Priscilla Frank
Priscilla Frank
Arts Writer, The Huffington Post
Posted: 07/24/2015 | Edited: 07/24/2015 10:59 AM EDT
Few things are more aggressively unpleasant in the early morning than walking into a subway station emblazoned with advertisements broadcasting the latest Adam Sandler comedy, summer diet pill or sexually suggestive Seamless ad.
Thanks to an app called No Ad, you can now swap out said brain-numbing endorsements with stimulating artworks. Goodbye sexist imagery and bad puns, hello contemporary art!
The art-savvy (and free) app recognizes patterns on subway ads and compares it to a database of all circulating subway ads at the time. Just by pointing your phone at the image you wish to eradicate, the app will replace it with a work of art. Voila, a mobile, pop-up gallery at your fingertips.
No Ad is curated by a revolving crop of artists and institutions, changing approximately every month. Thus the concept of a fluidly updating art gallery is transposed from white-walled cubes above ground to the concrete jungle below.
"There's something really nice about this, a kind of gallery space sitting in your pocket," Jordan Seiler, one of the founding partners of No Ad, explained to Atlas Obscura. "It's kind of like walking into a physical gallery, and not knowing what the artist is showing. The serendipity of discovery is important."
"Jordan represents the anti-advertising aspect of the app," Jowy Romano, the other founding partner, explained to The New York Times. "I’m more concerned with the bringing-the-art-into-the-subway aspect." Romano, a street art buff, also keeps a blog tracing subway art throughout the city.
The app illuminates an early glimpse at a virtually augmented future, one in which each individual's experienced reality can be self-determined, or even curated. "In a large part, it’s an art project," Seiler noted. "We’d eventually like the city to embrace it as a tool for commuters and tourists to experience the vibrant culture of the city that’s above ground, while they are traveling underground."
Goodbye, posters for the sequels to blockbuster movies we never wanted to see in the first place. Farewell, online degree program testimonials. Adieu, McDonald's bulletins and J.Crew placards and spooky Blue Man Group plugs. We won't miss you!
As of now, No Ad works only on the two-panel ads on New York's subway platforms. However, in the near future the app hopes to expand to ads inside of trains, as well as those throughout Berlin. And then, THE WORLD!
Follow our Beyond the Gallery programme on Twitter and across social media with #BeyondTheGallery
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